The Deuon and Somersetshire grasiers, feede yeerely great droues of Cattell in the North quarter of Cornwall, and vtter them at home, which notwithstanding, Beefe, Whitfull, Leather or Tallow, beare not any extraordinarie price in this Countie, beyond the rate of other places: and yet, the oportunitie of so many Hauens, tempteth the Marchants (I doubt me, beyond their power of resistaunce) now and then to steale a transportation, and besides, vttereth no smal quantitie for the reuitailing of weather-driuen shippes. Some Gentlemen suffer their beastes to runne wilde, in their Woods and waste grounds, where they are hunted and killed with Crossebowes, and Peeces, in the maner of Deere, and by their fiercenesse, and warinesse, seeme to haue put on a part of the others nature. Each Oxe hath his seuerall name, vpon which the driuers call aloud, both to direct and giue them courage as they are at worke.
The Cornish horses, commonly are hardly bred, coursely fed, low of stature, quicke in trauell, and (after their growth and strength) able inough for continuance: which sort proue most seruiceable for a rough and hilly Countrie. But verie few of them (through the owners, fault) retaine long this their naturall goodnesse. For after two yeeres age, they vse them to carrie sackes of Sand, which boweth downe, and weakneth their backes, and the next Summer they are imployed in harrowing, which marreth their pace. Two meanes that so quaile also their stomackes, and abate their strength, as the first rider findeth them ouer-broken to his hands. Howbeit now, from naught, they are almost come to nought: For since the Statute 12. of Henry the eight, which enableth eueri man to seize vpon horses that pastured in Commons, if they were vnder a certaine sise, the Sherifes officers, reckoning themselues specially priuiledged to poll in their masters yeere, haue of late times, whether by his commandement, or sufferance, accustomed to driue those waste grounds, and to seize on those not voluntarie statute-breaking Tits, so as nature denying a great harace, and these carrying away the little, it resteth, that hereafter, not the dammes Foale, but the dames Trotters, be trusted vnto, This consideration [25] hath made me entertain a conceite, that ordinarie Husbandmen should doe well to quit breeding of Horses, and betake themselves to Moyles: for that is a beast, which will fare hardly, liue verie long, drawe indifferently well, and carrie great burdens, and hath also a pace swift, and easie enough, for their Mill and market seruice. By which meanes, looke what is abated from the vsuall number of Hacknies, should (with a gainefull recompence) be added to their goodnes: and hereof this quarter hath alreadie taken some experiment. For, not long sithence, it hapned that one brought ouer an hee Asse, from France, because of the strangenesse of the beast (as euerie thing where it comes first, serves for a wonder) who following his kind, begat many monsters, viz. Moyles, and for monsters indeed, the Countrie people admired them, yea, some were so wise, as to knocke on the head, or giue away this issue of his race, as vncouth mongrels.
Amongst living things on the land, after Beastes, follow Birds, who seeke harbour on the earth at night, though the ayre bee the greatest place of their haunt by day.
Of tame Birds, Cornwall hath Doues, Geese, Ducks, Peacockes, Ginney duckes, China geese, Barbarie hennes, and such like.
Of wild, Quaile, Raile, Partridge, Fesant, Plouer, Snyte, Wood-doue,
Heathcocke, Powte, &c.
But, amongst all the rest, the Inhabitants are most beholden to the Woodcockes, who (when the season of the yeere affordeth) flocke to them in great aboundance. They arriue first on the North-coast, where almost euerie hedge serveth for a Roade, and euerie plashoote for Springles to take them. From whence, as the moyst places which supplie them food, beginne to freeze vp, they draw towards those in the South coast, which are kept more open by the Summers neerer neighbourhood: and when the Summers heate (with the same effect from a contrarie cause) drieth vp those plashes, nature and necessitie guide their returne to the Northern wetter soyle againe.
Of Hawkes, there are Marlions, Sparhawkes, Hobbies, and somewhere Lannards. As for the Sparhawk, though shee serue to flie little aboue sixe weekes in the yeere, and that onely at the Partridge, where the Faulkner and Spanels must also now and then spare her extraordinarie assistance; yet both Cornish and Deuonshire men employ so much trauaile in seeking, watching, taking, manning, nusling, dieting, curing, bathing, carrying, and mewing them, as it must needes proceede from a greater folly, that they cannot discerne their folly herein. To which you may adde, their busie, dangerous, discourteous, yea, and sometimes despiteful stealing one from another of the Egges and young ones, who, if they were allowed to aire naturally, and quietly, there would bee store sufficient, to kill not onely the Partridges, but euen all the good-huswiues Chickens in a Countrie.
Of singing Birds, they haue Lynnets, Goldfinches, Ruddockes, Canarie birds, Blacke-birds, Thrushes, and diuers other; but of Nightingals, few, or none at all, whether through some naturall antipathie, betweene them and the soyle (as Plinie writeth, that Crete fostereth not any Owles, nor Rhodes Eagles, nor Larius lacus in Italy Storkes) or rather for that the Country is generally [26] bare of couert and woods, which they affect, I leaue to be discussed by others.
Not long sithence, there came a flocke of Birds into Cornwall, about Haruest season, in bignesse not much exceeding a Sparrow, which made a foule spoyle of the Apples. Their bils were thwarted crosse-wise at the end, and with these they would cut an Apple in two, at one snap, eating onely the kernels. It was taken at first, for a forboden token, and much admired, but, soone after, notice grew, that Glocester Shire, and other Apple Countries, haue them an ouer-familiar harme.
In the West parts of Cornwall, during the Winter season, Swallowes are found sitting in old deepe Tynne-workes, and holes of the sea Cliffes: but touching their lurking places, Olaus Magnus maketh a farre stranger report. For he saith, that in the North parts of the world, as Summer weareth out, they clap mouth to mouth, wing to wing, and legge in legge, and so after a sweete singing, fall downe into certaine great lakes or pooles amongst the Canes, from whence at the next Spring, they receiue a new resurrection; and hee addeth for proofe hereof, that the Fishermen, who make holes in the Ice, to dip vp such fish with their nets, as resort thither for breathing, doe sometimes light on these Swallowes, congealed in clods, of a slymie substance, and that carrying them home to their Stoues, the warmth restoreth them to life and flight: this I haue seene confirmed also, by the relation of a Venetian Ambassadour, employed in Poland, and heard auowed by trauaylers in those parts: Wherethrough I am induced to giue it a place of probabilitie in my mind, and of report in this treatise.